Dramatic security camera footage captured the moment a residential home exploded into a fireball of gas, debris and smoke.
The home in the Missouri neighbourhood of O’Fallen was levelled by the explosion, which the public utility company Spire said was caused by a third-party striking a gas line.
O’Fallon Fire Department and police evacuated the area shortly before the explosion, which damaged nearby homes and cars about noon local time on Tuesday.
The security camera footage that captured the explosion was provided by a neighbour to local broadcaster KMOV News 4. Neighbours told News 4 a company was installing lines when they struck a gas line on Millers Ct.
Nobody was home at the time of the explosion and there were no reported injuries, St Charles County Ambulance District told the outlet.
Spire crews vented the gas out of homes near the house that exploded, leaving 19 homes without service for several hours while the lines were repaired.
The company installing the lines, Gateway Fiber, said in a statement the accident resulted in a "home fire".
"Our thoughts are with the homeowners as the safety and well-being of our customers, contractors, and employees is our first priority," the statement said.
"We are cooperating with the appropriate authorities to gather information and look forward to learning more from those ongoing investigations.”
